The all new Hitachi glass data storage solution looks like something from a sci-fi movie. Forever storage could be coming soon to you. Digital storage does not survive forever. We all know that CDs, DVDs, flash drives, hard drives and other types of digital storage solutions degrade over time. Hitachi is one of many companies tackling this degrading problem.

Hitachi has recently announced a glass data storage solution that encodes information onto quartz glass. This data can last forever. Storage of data on glass sounds too cool to be true, but it looks like Hitachi has managed the impossible. A prototype storage chip shown off by the company is just 20mm by 20mm and 2mm thick. This storage chip is capable of withstanding temperatures extremely high temperatures.

Image data preserved for millions of years. The technology relies on layers of dots which store the data in binary form. Currently, the chips can be four layers thick and roughly store about 40MB per square inch. Reading the data isn’t simple and it is still a long way away from consumer or everyday use.

The company plans to make this technology available for those that want long term, highly durable storage data. For the time being, we can rely on trusty SSDs or flash cards to store our data.

Storing stuff on the cloud seems to be the way to go these days. Hitachi and many other companies are developing new and exciting ways of storing data. Maybe this new glass data can be used for identity purposes.